Major League Baseball teams may not be the only ones hitting home runs right out of the ballpark at Wrigley Field this summer. Fox Chicago News reports that the Chicago Cubs, who own the ballpark, are currently in talks with Paul McCartney, Dave Matthews Band, Phish and the long-running Billy Joel and Elton John package which came to Wrigley Field for two dates last season.

Concerts at the ballpark were mired in controversy last year when a neighborhood group rallied for the cancellation of a Rascal Flatts concert. The group claimed it violated a previous two-shows per year agreement and that the date conflicted with a neighborhood festival. The Cubs have reassured neighbors that they will work with them to meet their needs and address their concerns.

Nothing has been confirmed so far, but Paul McCartney at Wrigley Field? Break out the peanuts and Cracker Jacks.

i beg all of you who read this...to please...please consider forgiving me for being vulgar or crude in any way...but, if i were really, really honest with myself...and you fine folks...i'd have to say, quite frankly...that after reading this last passage...that i just may...nope...it IS confirmed...i have a boner.

I want to tell her that I love her a lot, but I got to get a belly full of wine.

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter Three nighttime concerts at Wrigley Field apparently aren't too much for the congested Lake View neighborhood to handle, according to the alderman whose ward includes the ballpark.

Elton John and Billy Joel and the Dave Matthews Band will headline three more concerts this summer at Wrigley, thanks to an "exception" to the night-game ordinance that Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) plans to introduce at Wednesday's City Council meeting.

Elton John and Billy Joel will reprise last year's wildly popular concerts on July 7 — a Wednesday night.

The Dave Matthews Band — whose bus driver notoriously unloaded 800 pounds of human waste on a tour boat passing under the Kinzie Street bridge in 2004 -- is expected to headline Friday and Saturday night concerts in September. The dates haven't been finalized.

Last summer, the Cubs held an unprecedented three Wrigley concerts in one summer week -- two by Elton John and Billy Joel, one by Rascal Flatts.

When the Southport Neighbors Association argued that it was too big a burden, in part because of a conflict with the group's neighborhood festival, Tunney called it a one-year experiment. He promised that, if things didn't go well, "There'll be no more concerts."

On Tuesday, Tunney said the three-concert experiment was so successful that it's worth repeating.

He also said he hasn't decided yet whether to demand that the Cubs forfeit one of their 30 night games in return.

"There are certainly naysayers," Tunney said. "There have been naysayers about doing any concerts. But the majority of the community thinks the concerts, so long as they're regulated and few and far between, provide benefits to the community.

"It's great for business in the neighborhood. It also provides real, first-rate entertainment at the park."

Jill Peters, president of the Southport Neighbors Association, appears to be softening her opposition to the three Wrigley concerts after developing a "good working relationship" with the Ricketts family, the Cubs' new owners.

"We've been having lots of conversations back and forth," Peters said. " I'm trying to address some of the concerns neighbors have raised, and I'm hopeful the Cubs will resolve most, if not all, of these concerns."

She wouldn't say what those concerns are.

The motivation for the concert series for the Cubs is the chance to bring in money that wouldn't fall under Major League Baseball's revenue-sharing umbrella. For every dollar the Cubs make on game days, 34 cents must be shared with other teams. For every dollar from a concert, the Cubs get to keep 100 percent.

The concert precedent began in 2005 with a pair of Labor Day concerts by Jimmy Buffett. In exchange, the Cubs agreed to donate $150,000 to neighborhood schools, take a one-year break from concerts and forfeit one of their 30 night games the following season. The Buffett concerts ended at 10:30 p.m., and seating was capped at the baseball limit of 41,000.

In 2007, the Cubs were hoping to avoid the night-game penalty -- until Tunney put up a fuss. The alderman demanded -- and the Cubs agreed -- to play only 29 night games that year. The team also agreed to cut off stadium sales of beer and alcohol at 9:30 p.m., provide security in and around Wrigley until 2 a.m. and monitor sound levels during and after the concert.

Neighborhood protections for this year's concerts are still being negotiated.

i am still going to hold out hope. i heard, just today, on WSCR am that mccartney was rumored to be there in september. no guarantees, obviously. but a dude can live on hope, can't he? i mean...crap...i've been a cub fan for 4 decades. whats a guy to do without hope?

I want to tell her that I love her a lot, but I got to get a belly full of wine.

I heard on the news on the telly that the Elton John/Billy Joel concert won't be returning to Wrigley FIeld this year. I wonder if that'll open the door for Paul McCartney to play a couple of dates at Wrigley? I think it may but we have yet to find out. Stay tuned for more.

The Cubs got the go-ahead Wednesday to hold a nighttime concert at Wrigley Field on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, but they’ll bend over backwards to minimize conflict.

Mike Lufrano, Cubs senior vice-president of community affairs, said the time of the Saturday, Sept. 18 concert — by either the Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney or Phish — will be pushed back until after sundown, when Yom Kippur ends.

Because the Sept. 17 concert coincides with Kol Nidre, the start of Yom Kippur, the Cubs have reached out to all three synagogues in the area: Anshe Emet, 3751 N. Broadway; Anshe Sholom, 540 W. Melrose and Temple Sholom, 3480 N. Lake Shore Drive.

“It’s really parking that they’re most concerned about. You won’t hear it because they’re far enough away. But, it’s fans coming to hear the concert at the same time people are going to worship,” said Lufrano, who is Jewish and plans to miss his first Wrigley concert to celebrate the holiday.

“We’re talking to them about parking lots that we could shuttle people from. There will be additional parking available with shuttle service provided.”

Lufrano noted that fewer people drive to concerts than to Cubs games, leaving team lots at two-thirds capacity.

“We should have space available in our lots if people want to park. But, it may or may not be the most convenient,” Lufrano said.

“We may end up working with the Park District about Waveland Park or other places. We’ll find a place where people who are going to synagogue don’t have to worry about looking for parking. They can park in a lot and take a bus.”

Rabbi Michael Siegel of Anshe Emet could not be reached for comment. Prior to Wednesday’s vote by the City Council’s License Committee, Chairman Eugene Schulter (47th) reported that Siegel had sent a letter endorsing the September concerts.

Last summer, the Cubs held an unprecedented three Wrigley concerts in one summer week — two by Elton John and Billy Joel, one by Rascal Flatts.

When the Southport Neighbors Association argued that it was too much, in part because of a conflict with the group’s neighborhood festival, local Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) called it a one-year experiment. He promised that, if it didn’t go well, “There’ll be no more concerts.”

On Wednesday, Tunney argued that the three-concert experiment was so successful, thanks to “neighborhood protections,” it’s worth repeating.

But, since Elton John and Billy Joel have cancelled their summer tour, Tunney asked the License Committee to approve only the two September dates. The Cubs may or may not seek approval for an additional concert in July.

“We’d like to. We’re working on that. But, we didn’t have anything today,” Lufrano said. “It highlights how difficult it is to find the right act to play in Wrigley Field.”